Their Secret Island
by raven1307
Summary: This is a scene set mid-season 1 about a chance meeting between Robin and Marian, and their thoughts on their past/future.
1. Chapter 1

She walked through the meadow like a nymph, stroking the long grass as she passed it. The hot sun kissed her skin, and summer's heat encased the land in a warm haze. Her shoes lay behind her forgotten, as did all sense of duty. For one blissful moment she was free to be herself, to let all guards down and not worry about others viewing her private feelings.

Little did she realise that someone was watching her one moment of freedom. As children they called the meadow "their island", for it was at the top of a steep hill and surrounded on all sides by the dense forest through which none but the bravest ventured. It was their favourite playground as children, and a secret meeting place as lovers but it had lain abandoned these past five years. She had not dared to enter that sacred place whilst he was at war, the memories of hurt and disappointment still too raw to bear. But he had returned, and with him her desire to see the meadow had grown, until she could no longer fight the temptation to visit that forgotten place.

Upon reaching the middle, she sat down and began to entwine the grass around her fingers as she studied the view. The forest spread out before her like a vast blanket, and in the far distance she spotted the small church marking the village of Locksley. It astonished her that she had never realised the beauty of these views before, but then, she smirked, her attention was always focused upon another.

Watching from the trees, Robin was entranced with this beautiful woman. He was torn between the wish to leave her to her own private moment and the need to see her after spending so long apart. The choice had seemed so simple back then. His King had needed him as did his God, to defend the Holy Land from those that desecrated it. In his naivety he had assumed that his betrothal to Marian would continue until his return, whereupon their marriage would be an ecstatic event celebrating their love and his glory won on the battlefield. This notion had been shattered in this very meadow, with her throwing his mother's ring at him and running into the forest to prevent him from seeing her tears. As Robin sat in the tree he couldn't help but think bitterly, if only someone had showed him this beautiful scene before then nothing would ever have tempted him to leave.

Unaware of her audience, Marian lay down amongst the grass and closed her eyes, allowing her hair to billow out creating a fan around her head. She listened to the buzzing of the insects around her, glad that for once they were the only thing to be heard. Her mind drifted to him and she started to wonder where he was now. She opened her eyes to look at the clouds above her and the heavens beyond that. She felt so weary from fighting everyone, especially herself, as she was aware that her anger towards him had thawed and in the depth of her heart she longed for nothing else now but to reunite with him. Sometimes it felt as though every bone in her body was pulling towards him, her will power the only thing that kept them apart.

Suddenly she sat up and stared at the village in the distance. She began to question her will power and the merits of her stubbornness. What if she did relent to her feelings? She knew it would make her happy, and it would cost her a lot less than constantly having to fight herself whenever he was near. She wasn't sure of his feelings, but then she reasoned that she had never been entirely sure of them as he had never admitted to loving her.

But then what if he didn't love her, or the years apart had worn away any great attachment that he did feel. She knew her strength, and she knew she could never recover from another rejection by him. Ultimately she didn't trust him to stay, believing that he could leave Nottingham whenever he wanted too and she knew that to let him back in her heart only for him to abandon her again would destroy her.

As this conflict raged inside her, Marian felt the hot tears run down her cheek and watched as they disappeared into the grass. Her feelings of misery and despair, so carefully kept out of sight from others, could no longer be contained. The forest blurred into a green mass before her, as she fought for control over her own body. These past five years had worn away her naivety, gentleness and happiness. The great burden of supporting all those around her weighed constantly about her neck and the fear of letting those most dependant on her down kept her up at night. Yet in this one moment of freedom the only person she had to worry about was herself and the feelings that she had ignored for the sake of others welled up uncontrollably, free at last.

Robin silently climbed down to the forest floor, like a fragment of metal drawn towards a magnet. Yet something stopped him from revealing himself to her. Their many years of separation had created a gulf between them. Once he had known her better than she knew herself, but now he was unsure of how to approach her. As he stared his face began to lose its carefree youthfulness, replaced by a mature weariness that questioned his every move.

The one thing he wanted in this world was her, but he had little idea how to reach it. The charming remarks she had once found amusing now merely irritated her and his carefree attitude that had once been so loved was now dismissed with disapproval. Yet to be serious with her would be to show his deepest and most vulnerable feelings, something which he had never had the courage to do. He had tried to tell her so many times, but had always stumbled at the last hurdle. When he returned he had been so afraid that she would not like the man before her who had been changed so much by the horrors of war, he had endeavoured to be the carefree youth of her past.

Little did he realise that Marian too had been much changed by the war at home and she could no longer be the carefree girl who had loved that youth. Instead Marian yearned for the deepest and sincerest of relationships, built on the wisdom of maturity rather than the fancy of carefree and capricious youth. Sometimes she thought she saw flashes of deeper sincerity from him, which was slowly igniting a hope that she refused to recognise.

The humid rays continued to bathe Marian in summer's heat and her heart began to sink as she realised that she would soon have to return to devil's nest. Slowly she began to collect herself, wishing with every fibre in her body that she could just run away into the forest and forget the living hell that she had to survive in. The forest felt like a temptress, trying to entice her away from a life she hated. She knew how easy it would be to disappear into that vastness, to forget the pain and fear that dwelt in her at all times and live as the carefree girl who had once roamed the green sea. He would also be there, her own Ceyx calling her to jump into the sea, to be cast out and never to return to their previous lives.

But the image of a weakened man refused to leave her, and Marian knew she would never be able to run away without always looking back for her father. He was the one person who had never abandoned or hurt her, and she felt that he was the only one on which she could rely. His deteriorating health was a constant concern, and she knew her duty was to him first. Thus pushing all thought of freedom from her mind she stood up to collect her things.

Her shoes were a little far off and she wandered idly over to them in order to prolong the soft feeling of grass around her feet. As she bent over to gather them she felt a piercing sense of eyes on her. Knowing the fiends that prowl the forest she straightened up and moved her hand over the handle of the concealed knife in her belt. Her eyes scanned the trees around her, but she saw nothing to suggest that someone lurked there. Feigning to pick up a flower on the ground, Marian continued to search the area for signs of life, straining to hear a single noise that would give away a hiding spot.

Robin saw the change in her stance and knew that she suspected someone was watching her. For a moment he was scared that she would find him there and dismiss him away from her presence.

He was rooted to the spot with indecision, she rooted by apprehension. His feet moved an inch and snapped a small branch on the floor. In the silence of the forest, this slight noise felt like crack of thunder and gave Marian the knowledge of where her audience hid.

He cursed himself inwardly for giving away his position. Her eyes burned with indignation and defiance in his direction, and he knew that she would not leave before confronting her watcher. His footsteps echoed as he walked towards the edge of the meadow, whilst her eyes narrowed at the sound of his approach. He took a breath before he stepped out into the sun, nervous at the approaching encounter.

She saw the outline of a man before her, half concealed by shadow and yet so familiar. She continued to stare at him as he took a step into the meadow, the sun rays bouncing of his dark hair and revealing the handsome face of the man she had loved for so many years.

For the first time in five years their eyes met across their secret island.


	2. Chapter 2

He stopped a little way into the meadow, unsure of how close he would be allowed to approach. The sun blinded him as he stood in the open, the golden rays of a setting sun casted a brilliant glow upon everything it touched. Time had dulled his recollection of the specs of red and the warmth her deep chestnut locks radiated every time the sun touched them. However his memory of her eyes had never faded. Those deep blue, sapphire oceans that he had always adored had remained fresh in his mind since the day he left and had haunted him wherever he roamed in far off lands.

She stared at him through wet eyes, noting the subtle changes time had made to his face. He embodied the strength and courage of a warrior but to her he also had the gentlest of hearts. She wanted to call out to him but her voice stuck in her throat and courage failed her.

Her eyes still displayed the visible signs weeping as they stubbornly remained red and slightly swollen. He noted that she constantly tried to wipe them whilst furiously blinking, trying to regain her composure in front of him. It broke Robin's heart to see her try so hard to hide her true feelings from him when only a few years ago she could never keep anything from him, an open book that only he was able to read. But now she shut everyone out, especially him, and that cut him like a knife to his chest.

As Robin continued to look at Marian he realised that her face spoke of the deepest sorrow within her, and her attempts to disguise them only emphasised the pain she constantly felt. For the first time he saw her fragility and recognised the monumental strength it must take to hide such feelings for so long. He reflected on the times she had been dismissive or sharp and felt ashamed when he realised that he had taken things at face value. He had never noticed the pain in her eyes or the sadness which echoed in her words. She had told him "everything is a choice", and although said in anger, he could now hear the hurt of his rejection when she had spoken those words.

She had been waiting for one of his witticisms and grew increasingly wary when he failed to say anything to her. All of a sudden the world seemed to turn silent, no noise or sound could be heard. There was no one and nothing there but them. She realised that she didn't have the energy to rebuff him or play any kind of games like they so often did. In that one moment since he had entered the field she realised that she just needed him.

The wind gracefully touched the branches on the nearby trees, breaking the surreal silence that had made a single moment seem like an age between them. In the distance they could hear the church bell start to toll for the villagers to attend evening mass, and the sun's glow still bore down upon the earth enveloping it in calm warmth. The grass whispered around them as the breeze continued to touch their island, and the tranquillity of the scene seeped into her to remove all doubts from her mind.

He watched as she raised her arm and held out her hand to him. Never had such a small gesture meant so much.

She had been nervous to display her need so openly and nervous of what his reaction would be. But when she saw his eyes light up with tenderness and watched him walk over to her, she knew that nothing had changed for him. He clasped her hand in his, making a silent vow that he would never let it go ever again. Not even a God could force him to lose her hand again.

He ran his other fingers through her hair, stopping to cup her face with his hand. Concern etched all over his face and gentleness emphasised with every movement. She could no longer keep her sorrow contained, and tears began to run silently down her cheek.

Never leaving her gaze Robin wiped away the tracks, wishing he could take away her pain so easily. These past years of constant pressure and turmoil had worn her down and she had had no one to turn to. She had given everything to help those around her but received no support in return.

"Robin" she whispered with uncertainty. Her voice seemed so small and timid, as if it were the ghost of her as a girl calling to him.

"I'm here" he simply replied, taking her into his arms.


	3. Chapter 3

He smiled as she nestled into his shoulder. He continued to stroke her hair with one hand and held her close with the other. He felt her screw up her hand on his chest and felt her breath deepening. For 5 years he'd dreamed of standing here with her, of holding her and being the one she chose to turn too. The moment seemed peculiarly precious, something that he adored and hated in equal measures.

Slowly Marian began to compose herself and took a few steadying breaths before she looked up into his eyes. The worried voice in her head repeatedly warned her not to give in, to stay strong and remember the hurt he had caused her all those years ago. But her heart groaned and protested for it knew exactly what it wanted. This internal battle raged on as Marian raised her head to him.

Still enclosed within his arms and despite the little voice in her head Marian couldn't help but smile up at the man who had won her heart so many years ago. He was her safety since they were children, though she would never admit it to him. She felt protected from the world and its horrors when she was with him, and for the first time in five years she felt her burdens loosening slightly.

"Were you watching me?" she asked in a shy voice, afraid that he had seen too much.

"Only for a minute or so" he replied earnestly "and I didn't mean to … I just couldn't bring myself to leave".

She nodded and looked at the ground, her cheeks starting to flame up with the subtle edge of embarrassment. She didn't like the thought of anyone seeing her weaknesses, and Robin was the one person she always strove to be strong in front of in order to mask the hurt that still crippled her inside. She knew from the concern in his eyes that he had glimpsed that pain, and she wondered if he knew how much of it he had caused all those years ago.

Her reverie was broken by Robin's soft voice in her ear.

"Tell me" he implored, knowing that her silence was merely building the barriers back up against him. But sapped of all energy, Marian merely raised her head and studied him.

"I can't" she admitted "there's too much … and I wouldn't know where to begin". She shook her head as she felt the hot stinging of tears threatening to pour from her eyes, and looked down at the meadow to conceal them.

He looked down at her with eyes full of remorse and concern. "Tell me" he asked again, and cupping her chin he brought her face up to look at him. She drew in a breath to summon her courage, and slowly she began to tell him everything that weighed upon her mind…


End file.
